Take a look at our combination of Jeff Banks formal Shoes Step out in style in Leather Brogues, Monk shoes and Lace up shoes Price Low To High Price High To Low Jeff Banks Brown Derby Leather Shoe Jeff Banks Brown Oxford Leather Brogue Jeff Banks Brown Derby Tram Leather Shoe Jeff Banks Black Derby Tram Leather Shoe Jeff Banks Black Oxford Leather Brogue Jeff Banks Burgundy Oxford Leather Shoe Jeff Banks Brown Oxford Brogue Shoe Jeff Banks Brown Derby Shoe Jeff Banks Black Monk Shoe Jeff Banks Brown Suede Boot Jeff Banks Mulberry Oxford Brogue Shoe Jeff Banks Black Leather Oxford Lace-up Shoe Jeff Banks Brown Leather Lace-Up ShoeIn a shop on the second floor of Bellair St., measurements for Treccani Milano bespoke men's shoes are taken. The shoes are then made in Italy and brought back to the client for adjustments.Poppy Barley, based in Edmonton, sells a full range of customizable styles, including ballet flats.
Peter Feeney left a film career in 2006 and moved to Florence to study shoemaking. He now works with a diverse clientele of men and women in Toronto.)Nasser Vies has been making shoes and boots for two decades on Queen St. E. He boasts celebrity fans including Robert Duvall and Jim Cuddy. Order this photo Nasser Vies offers shoemaking classes at his shop on Queen St. E. While he's tried to keep most spots available for locals, his work has attracted international attention.Rogues Custom hand-paints their leather shoes, which offers a different colour from tanned leather.Last year marked the turning point for the custom footwear industry in Toronto. Like the couture atelier in the clothing business, the bespoke shoemaker used to be a rarefied privilege for only the extremely wealthy. But, thanks to the patronage of young fashion fans who value the “slow fashion” factor, custom shoemakers have found a fresh toehold. “In the past three years, we’ve seen a new, younger customer and a big increase in interest,” says Nick Marino of Nick’s Custom Boots in the Annex.
“Young people who want to know about the craft and the maintenance of good shoes. They want five good pairs that last a lifetime, not 100 disposable pairs.”In the mythology of the bespoke shoe, for which one has a personalized foot dummy (called a last) made, the pinnacle is Berluti in Paris and John Lobb in London, where shoes start at $6,000 (shoe trees for the shoes cost an additional $2,000!). And of course, the custom footwear tradition lives on strong in Italy and Hong Kong, where clients can find a range of made-to-measure options, though the focus tends to be on the conservative, classic business shoe.But it is the hipster factor that shines hope on a dying art here in Toronto: a renewed interest in old-fashioned, artisanal values. Plus the fashion industry at large has seen an explosion in customizable products, from the trend to monogramming and personalizing everything from hand luggage to underwear to bicycles. Athletic shoe companies Reebok, Adidas and Nike have all added customizable options to their selections.
And mass luxury brands such as Stuart Weitzman have made-to-measure events for special preorders ahead of the next season.People turn to made-to-measure shoes either as a necessity (large, small, narrow or wide foot size) or as a status symbol. “Yes, I have gentlemen who match their shoe colour to the interior of their sports car,” says Emanuele Treccani Bonasia of Treccani Milano Bespoke in Yorkville. They also seek out bespoke as a way, he says, “of becoming part of the process, a collaborative interaction with real, live craftspeople.”The practice is increasingly popular with women, as seen in the early success of Edmonton-based firm Poppy Barley, which can be found online, but has also just opened a permanent measuring salon at the adventurous shoe shop Brodawka & Friends on Queen St. W. following a series of pop-up events there this past fall.And one brand new Toronto company, Rogues Custom, is about to take to the web for custom orders to supplement their travelling, shoe-fitting trunk service for men, in which they have been taking their measuring tapes to offices and shops such as GotStyle and the Ryerson Fashion Zone.
These new-style hybrid projects take the price of custom shoes down to much more accessible levels. “We are educating a new group of people that didn’t even think about buying something custom-made before because it was so exorbitant,” says Gonzalo de Cardenas, the creative director for Rogues.Herewith, a roundup of your various custom footwear options in Toronto. 1) Peter FeeneyDown an alley behind Sherbourne St. at Dundas St., down a set of stairs to the basement, you will find bespoke shoemaker Peter Feeney tucked in below Trend Custom Tailors. Feeney left a career in film in 2006 to move to Florence to study to become a cordwainer (the old-fashioned word for shoemaker) as well as the Italian necessary to attend school in a foreign language. He then assumed an arduous apprenticeship under some old-school taskmasters in the art of creating handmade, custom shoes. Feeney’s process requires a commitment on the part of the client, involving about four visits: for consultation, measurement and fittings.
The final product rings in at about $1,500. Since setting up in Toronto in 2010, Feeney has attracted a diverse clientele of men and women, who often commission Feeney to let loose creatively on their feet. “Clients are really eager to learn about the art of shoemaking, they are really passionate about the details,” Feeney says. Peterfeeney.ca2) Treccani MilanoIn a shop on the second floor of Bellair St., Emanuele Treccani Bonasia and his wife, Nicole Branicky, run a measuring service for bespoke men’s shoes made at their workshop in Italy. Once a client decides on the basic style of shoe (cap toe, oxford, derby, tuxedo), measurements are taken. In eight to 10 weeks, a try-on version of welted, goodyear construction (wherein a strip of leather is used to sew the upper part of the shoe to the lower) is sent back from Italy. Then, after adjustments, the final shoe can be made into anything you want: “Leather, hand-dyed colour, finish, all your choice,” says Treccani Bonasia. “
Once a client has been fit, they can reorder by phone from their homes in London or Dubai or Rosedale. Starting at $2,100, the shoes can be resoled as necessary to last a lifetime. 3) Nasser ViesFor more than two decades on Queen St. E., Nasser Vies has been making shoes and boots for private clients and for movie costume designers. Celebrity fans include Robert Duvall and Jim Cuddy. Vies says the surge of interest in the craft led him to start offering shoemaking classes at the shop. “You need some competition, and you need to have a strong industry to keep the suppliers around.” A devoted blogger, Vies has attracted the attention of international students and fans, though he tries to keep his spaces in class for local students. “But I get calls from all over the world. A woman is coming form Australia this summer, and I have students from Oregon and California.” His bespoke men’s welted shoes start about $1,000 and take three months, minimum, to deliver. 416-778-70124) Nick’s Custom Boots“People want less stuff and better stuff,” says Nick Marino, who has been handmaking boots for 35 years, since he learned the art from his father.
The Dupont St. and Spadina Ave. shop has seen some cool clientele over the years. Marino boasts of royal customers, as well as a loyal police following and customers “with alternative lifestyles, exactly like it says on the website.” No fetish is too out there for this craftsman. “The increase in interest, and business, in the last few years is reflected in our new clients’ intense interest in caring for their shoes. We tell them no water, just white vinegar, and we teach them how to care and polish for their own pieces. Standouts in the lineup are Nick’s cowboy boots (from $475), his German Tanker boot ($450) and his Beatle boot in suede ($425). 5) Poppy BarleyPoppy Barley is named for old-fashioned cordwainer measurements: one barleycorn is 1/3 of an inch and four poppy seeds equals one barleycorn. Based in Edmonton, this Internet-based made-to-measure service just opened an in-person measuring/ordering shop-within-a-shop at Brodawka & Friends at 1114 Queen St.W. There is a full range of styles on offer, from ballet flats ($188) to heeled boots ($475), all fully customizable for fit issues (narrow or wide, adjusting for proportions of calf size to foot, high arches and plus and petite lengths).
The men’s custom brogues, available in five styles, are named for Canadian cities and start around $338 to $398. 6) Rogues CustomThis service is so new the website isn’t quite up and running yet. But business partners Gonzalo de Cardenas and Nick J. McLeod are operating a Travelling Shoemaker service under the label Rogues Custom (a recent event was held at the menswear boutique GotStyle, and measuring is scheduled by appointment at Ryerson Fashion Zone). The leather is French or Italian and the shoes are made at a workshop in Hong Kong. Shoes are all made to measure, and the standout here is that the leather is hand-painted. “It means a colour different from regular tanned leather,” says creative director de Cardenas, whose background is in industrial design and who worked for a number of men’s and womenswear brands internationally before turning to his first love, custom men’s shoes. “We also have different techniques, such as burnishing, for leather and suede. Prices start at $595 for shoes and $775 for boots.